Favourite Gowns Under $550

Whether you're on a tight budget or not, it's nice to know that there are affordable, budget-friendly dresses that are easily accessible! Here are some of my favourite picks.

White by Vera Wang Draped Net Dress $600
at David's Bridal

Ruffle Shift Dress $99
David's Bridal



Chiffon One-Shouldered Dress $349
Davids Bridal

 David Meister draped jersey dress $550, Aidan Mattox Strapless metallic print dress $550 (both available at Neiman Marcus.)

Literary Weddings

Here's one of my favourite weddings (a Pride and Prejudice themed wedding) by Amorology Weddings that inspired this post on literature inspired weddings.

This spread definitely looks like it belongs at Pemberley!

(From Martha Stewart: the groom is a writer, so they used vintage typewriter keys as place cards)

Literature themed wedding featured on Style Me Pretty

Blooms coming out of an antique typewriter at a wedding created by Sixpence For Your Shoe

Easy Christmas Decoration Ideas

The outdoor urns have been transformed with bronze branches, poinsettias and pussy willows. The wreath is made from glass bronze ornaments, birds and butterflies.

I created this Christmas tablescape using reds, greens and silver tones to coordinate the centerpiece. Add a large ribbon for an extra hit of colour.

I replaced a few framed pictures with a simple wreath and added a Christmas arrangement.

I created another arrangement for the coffee table. A mirrored picture frame adds sparkle power to candles. Inexpensive Christmas balls are another simple and easy way to decorate.

A simple garland is made from olive branches, which are symbolic in Christ's life (and represent peace as well) are wrapped around the banister with a wired ivory ribbon. A handmade wreath is hung from the banister rails, proving that wreaths can be hung anywhere and not just on doors!

This is also a great Christmas card idea. I drew a tree and filled it in with words that came to mind when I thought about Christmas and what it meant to me. You can do the same with any shape.

Roses n Lollipops Holiday Floral Designs

With the holidays coming up, I thought i'd post some inspiration for holiday table designs. These pictures are from the talented celebrity floral designers, Roses n Lollipops, who have designed tablescapes for the likes of Lance Bass, Kathy Griffin and Shaquille O' Neal.

TIP: Don't forget that if you're filling your table with candles, florals or Christmas ornaments, you'll need to set up a buffet elsewhere or serve each guest individually.

I love the use of these rustic reindeer and candle holders with blue accents.



Faux Flowers No Longer a Faux Pas!

Years ago, if you had mentioned the use of faux or silk flowers in a wedding, it would have been a massive faux pas (no pun intended). Nowadays, you would be amazed at how realistic and beautiful faux flowers can be, and how many top designers incorporate them into their designs. Although nothing can replace the fragrant smell of fresh flowers, faux flowers can be wonderful to design with. They are easily manipulated and don't wilt like their fresh counterparts. Arguably, they could also be considered eco-friendly!An arrangement I made with faux peonies, roses and parrot tulips.
I've been working on the design of my friend Ada's wedding, and for the ceremony, I have the task of filling a large modern church on a tight budget. One of the stipulations of the contract was that fresh flowers were not to be used on anywhere there is carpet, so I ran to some faux flower suppliers in Mississauga over the weekend. I'll be posting more photos but here's a sneak peak! My living room's a bloom with the flowers for the wedding!
I got these gorgeous plum-lavender hydrangeas and bundled them with sprigs of lavender for the pews... i've got great plans for the pews!

Show Love in the Details...

On my second day off this week, I decided to the Celebrate Beautifully email and was completely blown away by the amount of emails, requests and wonderful compliments. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's reading my blog. I am completely flattered and I promise to try to keep posting! Actually when I first started this blog, the intent was to show the step by step process of planning my own wedding.
Turns out I didn't have the time to do that, so here is one DIY project I did to make up for it!
Project: Seating Card & Response Card Display
To make the seating card display, I made a base out of white foam, and wove together faux grass, leaving space for the Response Card display.

I hot glued cream ranunculus blossoms (a flower echoed in our bouquets) and green leaves to hide the foam base. Then I hot glued each seating card (with their name and table number*) onto bamboo stakes and stuck them in the base.

*hint: Pre-print all the names, but dont write in the table numbers until 1 week prior in case of last minute changes.

Our florist provided this gorgeous manzanita tree and we hung all the response cards of the guests. We printed a banner that said "Thank You for Saying Yes!" for the base of the tree which was nestled in a bed of pink roses. It was a great way to welcome our guests to our wedding!

Bridesmaid Dresses "Off The Rack" Looks

I've put together a few more "off the rack" looks for dresses!
I love yellow bridesmaid dresses. Go modern with a pure white bouquet (by Saipua) or more traditional with a pure cream bouquet. This sweet dress is on sale at Banana Republic for $109.99!

This classic ballerina pink dress is accented with a tone on tone bouquet. Start by matching the shade of your dress to the flower, and add some deeper tones. Silk chiffon dress from JCrew for $180.

I love the idea of this simple tailored navy shift (totally wearable after the wedding!), with a strand of pearls and a bouquet of garden roses like this one (from Martha Stewart Weddings). Dress by JCrew, $225.

This look is so 50's yet so fresh! This silk chiffon twist neckline dress ($170) from JCrew would be great in a spring or summer wedding with a bouquet of melon coloured ranunculous, tulips, and roses.

Bridesmaid Dresses Under $250

Getting bridesmaid dresses custom made can be stressful and aren't exactly budget friendly. However, I believe some of the best dresses come from off the rack. Most stores will allow you to put certain sizes on hold so your bridesmaids can come and try them on individually.
Here are some examples under $250.
This Banana Republic silk taupe dress would be great on a petite frame, softened by a lush bouquet of pink flowers. $250. Bouquet from Instyle Weddings

BR Monogram criss-cross silk dress is available at Banana Republic, $250, and would look great with a bouquet of cream flowers tied with black ribbon at a sleek affair. Bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings.

This low-key but fun dress from Banana Republic reminds me of a garden wedding. I've paired it with a fresh garden bouquet in neutral colours from Nicolette Camille.

Ladybug Labels

I love this etsy store, LadybugLabels. Such a great way to personalize your favours.

Really Organic Arrangements

I know i've mentioned this before, but I just love the way fruits and vegetables can make such a fresh visual impact. Here are a few examples:
Love this picture of London Restaurant, La Petite Maison. I got the photo from Gwenyth Paltrow's blog, GOOP. There's nothing simpler and cleaner than stacking up fruits and vegetables in big vases.

Forget the grocery bought veggie & dip platters. You can easily arrange veggies in a "bouquet" like manner in a basket just by bunching veggies together. The dip is nicely presented in a scooped out red pepper. Photo from LA based caterer, Joan's on Third.

I like the idea of bringing the arrangement outside the bowl. Check out how Joan's on Third catering used the blood orange peels sto create a flower.

Homemade Gift Ideas

I've always loved the idea of giving homemade gifts and cards for Christmas, because I think that thoughtfulness should always be the biggest part of the gift. I've found these great homemade gift ideas from Martha Stewart and picked some of my favourites. Not only do they make great Christmas gifts, they're great party favours.
How much do you adore these Candle tea cups?! This would be a great favour idea for a tea-themed bridal shower. Homemade scented salt scrubs

A box of cookies wrapped in kraft boxes, decorated with Christmas cards.

Personalize gift cards by putting them in these cute card holders.

I love this spiced coffee idea- take whole beans and mix them with cinnamon and nutmeg spices, or vanilla bean seeds.

You can also make small bundles of mulling spices. Be sure to include a recipe and use natural cheesecloth and non-dyed twine (unlike the picture shown). Jams, preserves, marinated olives and nut topics (shown) also look completely elegant, especially when you dress up the jar with fabric and/or spoons.

A totally cute yet simple bonbonniere- paper cones filled with goodies such as caramels. The trick to making homemade items pro-using nice script fonts like "edwardian script" and my favourite "Windsong".

Centerpieces Under $20

In this day and age, budget is the word, and unfortunately there's no easier way to blow your budget than using fresh floral centerpieces. On the bright side it forces us to become a little more creative when it comes to setting the table. Pictures from The Knot.com and a British wedding mag.

Centerpiece Money Saving Tips:

- Up the romance and save money by filling the table with inexpensive tealight candles. I usually get large packs of tealights from Ikea for around $2/bag. I think groupings of 3 look best, especially on round tables.

- Consider purchasing the containers (ie vases, urn, etc) instead of renting from your florist. You can get really nice glass vases from some places like Ikea. Providing your own vases can definitely save tons of money (depending on the ones you pick of course). We saved about $30 off the price of each of our centerpieces by getting copper urns on sale from Michaels.

- Use flowers that are in season

- Consider inexpensive fillers that are still elegant like hypercium berries and galex leaves.

- Stay away from labour intensive floral arrangements. For example small pomanders (round balls covered with flowers can cost $75 or more. If you love the pomander look, try using a less expensive flower like carnations, or mums.

- Pile up your favours in the middle of your table on a cake plate instead of purchasing a centerpiece

- If you're looking for visual impact, renting table linens can sometimes do a lot more for the room than the actual centerpiece. You can find nice linens starting from $15 per table.

Here are some centerpiece ideas under $20:

You can get a lovely pot of orchids from Costco for $14.99. Personally i'd recommend to wrap the base in a strip of shantung silk, or pretty paper to get an even bigger impact. Using inexpensive potted herbs, or grass with one or two blossoms of gerbera daisies is a charming and fresh centerpiece.

Try to find centerpiece vases or troughs that can be a part of the statement, so you dont have to spend as much on flowers.Another example of that is this cute tea tin as the vase. There's no better way to add charm and personality to the table than taking the usual and making it unusual.

Isn't this teacup and saucer an adorable centerpiece for a shower!?

Taking small bunches of flowers and putting them in fabric wrapped cans (even washed tin cans) can make it seem as though you have more flowers on the table.

I love fruit centerpieces because there's so much colourful impact, yet you can buy them cheaply by case from your local grocery store or chinatown. Bonus- these can be done ahead of time, or easily by helpers on site.

I love this arrangement! What a deliciously fresh mix of peaches, apricots, cherries and leaves.